The Arizona sentinel., 1887-11-05
ASTONISHING MoDEsTY.
A Dakota Man Who Was Sadly in Need of
 ScIf-Confidcnce.


 Fargo, has in some way got himself interviewed in local paper. and says: "I have never made the success in the world that many men have, owing to my want of confidence in my self and natural reserve"
 BIr. Burgess is right; his dillidence and shrinking modesty have all along rather held him down.
 When he first began business in Dakota he set up as a lawyer and loan agent. His natural reserve caused him 10 charge five per cent month interest and foreclosure mortgages be- fore they were due, and a vigilence committee chased him across the county line on run.
 Then his want of confidence in him self began to show itself. II went to soliciting fire insurance-his shynesS kept him from every thing else and he didn't succeed very well even in this eminently quiet and retired pursuit. He got dropped out of several high buildings, kicked over into the latter part of several weeks hence. and never knew when he'd have to jump fence and kick out back at dog and scatter blank applications and little lin house-signs all over the yard. He gave up insurance and entered on the subdued life of lightning-rOd agent.
 He got along better with this-moro suited to his modest and quiet tastes. He would drive up to farmers house when he was away from home and put lightning-rods all ever the house and barn, and cow-stablc and smoke house. and hay-barn and chicken-coop. and weIl-house. He would put lem on thick, too. When the frightened farmer drove into the yard he would think his Buildings looked like porcu- pines.
 Bob said he was a scientist and that he had noticed that the lightning was different than it used 10 be, and that it would sneak down 10 the roof un- less the points were mighty thick. He claimed after he got building prop erly covered with his rods that thun- der-cloud would look over the brow of the hill and then go away off around by way of the creek and the red school-house road. H. sail that he hal seen lightning strike at his house and then howl like pig under inc gate and go off across the pasture end over end, tearing up the soil like boy after angle-worms. He was always going to get balloon some day and take one of his lightning rods and go up among the clouds and make tho electricity beg for mercy.
 When the farmer got home and saw his buildings all bristIed mp he would sometimes begin 10 swear. But old Bob nearly always bulldozed him into paying If inc man wouldn't pay he would have him arrested for obtaining lighming-rods under false prctenses. It didn't do any good to leave dog at home to protect the house; he would stab the dog and run q rod up over it's dead body. Oae day he heard q man say he was going 10 build q house on some land he owned. and he went and stuck up half dozen rods on it with the same crooks they would have had in them if they had been on buildings. He made the man pay for them, foo. He told him he could put his buildings up around under the rods.
 But he found the business toe much for his natural reserve, and for the next six months he worked off his diff dcnce and want of confidence in him self by going around inc same country and telling people lightning-rods were sure death. and buying them back for about quarter what they were worth for old metal
 Then for few months he led quiet life running second hand store and pawnshop, and occasionally going out on little trips selling pumps and head stones and soliciting subscription for q paper; and later on he ran for inc Legislature.
 Bat he tired of all this, and again shrank back from the cold, unfeeling touch of the world and became crab- apple tree agent. His specially was 10 set out a mans farm 10 crab-apple trees while he was away from home, and then rob the honse of the silver ware for his pay. When the man was at home he would talk in his bashful. hesitating way, and sell him lot of dead trees with birds nest in each ona, anl grow so eloquent about the nests that the man would never notice that half the limbs were glued on the trees.
 He gave up this after a while, and as a sort of rest went on the road as advance agent for circus which only had one sick hyena and spotted horse. Then he travelled for St Louis wholesale house for few weeks and came back again.
 Then he struck out selling sewing machines and fanning-mills but soon gave them up for maps of Canada and rubber-stamps.
 He shrank from this as from conta- gion and went 10 selling rat traps, jew's-harps pillow-sham holders, soap recipes. misiit false teeth and other patent rights. Then he went to deal ing in salt to prevent lamps fromex- rloling, which would also burn out stovepipes, furniture polish, patent bird seed, spurs for game cocks, non